IAB reveals ad receptiveness by tablet, smartphone users

Research shows that users of tablets and smartphones are tolerate of mobile advertising. New research by the Interactive Advertising Bureau digs deeper to reveal how receptiveness to advertising varies by device.

U.S. mobile users are getting used to seeing ads on their devices. A recent survey by Prosper Mobile Insights found that 74% of mobile users pay full attention to ads on their device - broken down to over a third (35.3%) who "regularly" pay attention to mobile ads and 38.7% "occasionally".

A new study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau looks deeper and reveals that mobile users are also acting on those ads, once spotted. The IAB's Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence report, "Mobile's Role in the Consumer's Media Day", surveyed 552 U.S. consumers who use a smartphone at least once a week and 563 U.S. tablet users who also are on their device at least once a week.

Nearly 90% of tablet users and 80% of smartphone users were found to take action after seeing an ad. That action might be any number of things - signing up for a newsletter, receiving a coupon or actually making a purchase.

Nearly half (47%) of tablet users engage with ads on their device at least once a week, dropping to 25% among smartphone users.

Going forward, the key for marketers is to analyze how consumers are using these devices in different ways and formulate strategies and brand messages accordingly.

For example, smartphone users rarely leave home without their devices, which play a critical role in their day to day lives. Tablet users, on the other hand, are less likely to use their device while on-the-go - 22% vs. 60% of smartphone users. However, when consuming media such as print and video, tablets were a far more popular choice.

In May this year, the Interactive Advertising Bureau released its "Mobile Phone Shopping Diaries" research. It revealed that mobile ads aren't seen as being intrusive. Instead, 71% of respondents agreed that mobile ads were welcome and viewed them as a personal invitation from brands.

Not only that, over half (51%), wanted a brand's mobile ads to connect them to their company's wider product range. Thirty percent said they like personalized ads, but 27% said personalized ads are good thing as long as they have given permission to receive those ads.

Mobile ads were second only to convenience at encouraging consumers to shop on their devices. A quarter (24%) cited convenience as the main reason for using their mobile to shop while 22% said they were responding to a mobile ad.